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Kevin McEnroe leaves New York City criminal court on Wednesday.Photo: Steven Hirsch

Instead of becoming a legendary tennis ace like his dad, the eldest son of John McEnroe is following in the footsteps of his troubled, drug-abusing mom, actress Tatum O’Neal.

Kevin McEnroe, 27, was busted buying six bags of cocaine and dozens of prescription pills from a dealer on an East Village street corner, authorities said Wednesday.

The arrest took place just blocks from the Lower East Side spot where his Oscar-winning mother was caught buying crack and cocaine from a vagrant in 2008.

O’Neal was a no-show at her son’s Manhattan Criminal Court arraignment, but sources said she called the Ninth Precinct in a panic when she learned he had been busted.

His temperamental father — now a tennis commentator for CBS and NBC — also avoided the embarrassing event.

Looking grungy in jeans and green coat, Kevin appeared on the verge of tears as he waited for his case to be called, and he remained silent as a prosecutor detailed the felony drug charges against him.

“Given the amount, we believe we have a strong possession-with-intent-to-sell case,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Kathryn Werner told the judge.

He was released without bail and was escorted out of court by his uncle, Mark McEnroe, who runs the John McEnroe Tennis Academy on Randall’s Island.

Defense lawyer Isabelle Kirshner said McEnroe is pursuing a master’s degree at Columbia University while working at the trendy Lower East Side restaurant Schiller’s Liquor Bar.

He was arrested around 11 p.m. Tuesday, when uniformed cops allegedly saw him buying drugs from Niro Meneses, 22, on the corner of East Fourth Street and Avenue A, sources said.

Meneses, an Upper West Side resident, was charged with criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance, and ordered held on $10,000 bond or $3,500 cash bail.

Neither man has a prior criminal history.

McEnroe lives in a 1,125-square-foot, two-family townhouse in Brooklyn’s Gowanus section that he bought last year for $959,000.

Neighbors described him as a ladies man who likes to party.

“There’s a lot of girls coming in and out of the house,” said one neighbor, who would not give his name. “When the girlfriend is here there’s a lot of arguing. Every weekend mostly. He always seems like he’s drunk — looks like he’s out of it.”

McEnroe’s parents wed in 1986 and divorced in 1994, with John McEnroe taking primary custody of their three kids while O’Neal battled a heroin addiction.

O’Neal’s 29-year-old half-brother, Redmond, the troubled son of Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett, has been arrested several times for drug-related offenses.

“The entire McEnroe family is extremely upset with regard to recent developments about Kevin McEnroe,” the family said in a statement. “This is a private matter, and his entire family will do everything we can to support Kevin as he works through his issues at this very difficult time. We will have no further comment.”